An Assemblyman’s Response to New York Education Reform

Under the Obama Administration’s Race to the Top initiative, states like New York opted to compete for federal money and then implement associated reforms. Reforms included adopting the Common Core, new teacher evaluations, the expansion of charter schools, and changes to teacher preparation. The reforms trickle down from federal agencies to the governor to the commissioner of education to the assembly/senate and to schools. In this clip, listen to how one assembly man, Steve McLaughlin, frames his concerns with the reform agenda. Would you define what he says as ideological, sensible, political? How else might he have framed his concerns?